3 Delicious and Healthy Wintertime Recipes

When temperatures are frosty, the wind is howling, and you’re curled up with a blanket and a Netflix account, one’s appetite typically begins to lean toward cozy, comforting staples. And all too often, winter weather can turn into an easy excuse to eat indulgent, unhealthy foods that keep us feeling comforted and content.

But hot, tantalizing dishes that use winter ingredients need not be unhealthy. Keeping that in mind, we compiled a few recipes to try at home that are filling, tummy-warming, and great for company—no salads considered!

Butternut Squash Soup

With its fleshy, nutty insides and yellow-orange colors reminiscent of the pumpkin, the butternut squash is the perfect ingredient for winter cooking (it’s technically a “winter squash,” after all). Flavorful and friendly, butternut squash soup isn’t super difficult to make, and it’s a great dish to please a freezing crowd. Try this recipe from Martha Stewart’s web site, which works equally well as an appetizer, side, or main dish.

Turkey Chili

Winter foods should be hearty, and there’s no dish more up to the task than a great chili. In fact, chili is such a perfect winter food that it some people find it difficult to look at in the balmy summer months. Either way, this recipe from the New York Times puts an quick and easy spin on healthy turkey chili, transforming it into a dish that can be prepared in half an hour.

Roasted Root Vegetables

In the colder months, our taste buds naturally gravitate toward warm, earthy flavors—like the kind found in a well-prepared root vegetable. Fire up the oven to heat up your home as you drizzle a little oil and spices over your favorite veggies. This recipe from the Food Network makes use of beets, parsnips, potatoes, onions—and of course, some butternut squash.

Black Bean Burgers

You may not think of veggie burgers when you’re craving the perfect wintertime meal, but this selection hits checks off many of the most important items on our list of ideal attributes—it’s vegetarian-friendly, healthy, and absolutely comforting. After all, what better way to lift your spirits on a gloomy February day than a delicious burger with some homemade fries or roasted potatoes? Try this easy recipe from Allrecipes that spices things up with a little bit of cumin and Thai chili sauce.

For more tips on how to stay healthy, happy, and well during any and every month of the year, give us a call at PMR today!